Crafts with Love

I had a wonderful crafting moment this week when I remember the pure joy of crafting for someone that not only will appreciate my gift but also my ability to share goodness, compassion and love through making things.
I am still getting used to my new work environment, and even though I still don't think my officemates would eat my cookies I have found a few kindred souls that make the day better.
There is one fellow in particular that always brightens my day; even when she is having a really hard day she always has a wonderfully kind smile for me and I can always count on her for a good morning, something I have learned not to take for granted. She has been having a pretty rough month at work, you can hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes and well it just makes me want to love on her. Actually it makes me want to scope her up and take her very far away and surround her with good folk.
Last week I showed her some of my bags and pouches and she was so enthusiastic about the prints that I knew I had to make her one. I went home and set to work. I had to do a little mental brain tease to remember how to line a pouch after all those NY times zippy pouches but Tim Gunn (the sewing machine) and I finally got it right.
I gave it to her today with some Guatemalan worry dolls and it was warmly received.
The thing is, I have been so caught up in trying to complete my Crafting Resolution list and finding my way in a new job that I forgot the pure joy of making things and how important making things is to me as a way of connecting with people. I guess what I am saying is, Pastor Callie Janoff, I finially really get the Church of Crafts being and mission.
It is a really good thing to remember.

I’m Mad for MAD Museum

I am a bit delayed in telling you all what a wonderful time I had at MAD last week. Church of Craft along with MAD museum did a DIY salon that was all about recycling, repurposing and remaking things.
I had the great honor of showing folks how to make a bracelet out of fused plastic bags and buttons. I spent a couple of insane days fusing bags in preparation and was glad to be able to open some widows.
I was amazed at how creative and talented everyone was. I have been working with these materials for over a year and it blew me away how differently each person approached this project. Here are a few samples of the great work. Above is the lovely Rev. Callie showing off the a sample cuff. Unfortunately I did not manage to get the names of all these creative folk but I would love to give them credit so if you see your work or a friends please e-mail me so I can give credit where credit is do!














And last but not least the lovely Amanda showing off her cuff.


I would also like to thank my fabulous Church of Craft volunteer, Mary, without whom not nearly as many bracelets would have been made.

Green Bag Lady Extravaganza

This past Sunday I had the good fortune of running a small sweatshop for the Green Bag Lady project hosted by Church of Craft at Etsy labs. City Quilter in NYC was kind enough to send out a mass e-mail to all their friends asking for fabric donations to this noble deed. With the wonderful help of Abbie, Elisa, Sarah and Kristy we cut out over 40 bags and sewed 18. It was so much fun we are going to try to have a few more bag making days soon.

Green Bags

Now remember that the subtitle of this blog is confessions of a craft-o-holic. I have been making bags for the Green Bag Lady project. She got a little overwhelmed by so many bag requests and has stopped taking bag orders. But it is such a great project, and the bag is really easy to make, so I decided to help out the project. I have been organizing a Green Bag Lady event in Brooklyn as part of Church of Craft. The plan is to teach anyone and everyone how to make a reusable bag and to make more of these great bags to give away in Brooklyn, NY (sorry I can’t ship bags to folks).
My goal is to make between 50 and 100 bags to give out. I have already made about 20 and given away 10 to friends and family. I was feeling kinda grumpy the last few days and sewing usually cheers me up so I sat down and made about 10 bags. I actually made Tim Gunn (the sewing machine) break a sweat. Okay he didn’t sweat but he did get really hot and I had to turn the machine off and let it cool down.

If you’re not in the New York area and would like to make one of these great bags the Green Bag Lady has a great how to video here.

Craft Neglect

The thing about writing a craft blog is you can really get away with a lot of unfinished business. First, you can present yourself as all types of impressive for finishing projects left and right. Second, most people don’t mind progress shots. What you all don’t know is the stash of half finished projects hidden around my house: behind the couch, tucked in a basket, sitting in plain sight on my craft table.

A few years ago I took part in a Church of Craft exhibit on unfinished projects. We all hung a couple never-ending projects on the wall and then wrote a little bit about why we hadn’t finished them. Well I must confess, those two projects are still hidden away.

This morning I was reading one of my favorite craft bloggers, the Blather Magather, she like many crafters has a couple of larger projects languishing. She suggested that the Department of Neglected Crafts (DNC) was going to come beat down her door. I confess this sent a shiver down my spine when I thought of all those projects I have been neglecting for newer shinier ideas.

So in the spirit of full disclosure I thought I might share my top 10 abandon projects. Maybe if I talk about them I will remember how much fun they were and maybe the DNC will go easier on me…

Here it is my top 10 recently forgotten craft projects (mind you there are more, some so forgotten I can’t remember them):

1. The Beast. Whom you have all meet. And with all those ends to sew in I say chances are slim for a fast finish.
2. Brown Sweater. This is one of the sweaters from loop-d-loop. The sad part is it is really almost done. A mere few inches left till done, but I can’t remember what needles I used and then removed for another project so I need to rip out half the sweater and start again.
3. Hyperbolic Baby Pants. See now the problem with this project was that it was really about the challenge of the knitting concept. I needed to see if the pattern making an odd tube could be turned into baby pants. Once I knit them and discovered with a little tweaking they could become baby pants I lost interest.
4. Top Secret Sewing Project #1. This is a present for a faithful reader so lets just say this: there is some carefully picked out fabric, there was some cutting even some sewing but since an initial burst of energy there is sits, and it kinda has a deadline.
5. Fused Bags. If I really showed you all the plastic bags I have around here categorized by color and weight you would ship me off to plastic bags anonymous.
6. Green Mittens. I knit them over a day and a half. All that’s left is one thumb and some end sewing. I made them over a month ago and they have not moved from their last resting place since. And hey its spring right?
7. Green Modular Crochet Sweater. This is a newer project. I started it this winter after chipping in with friends to buy this great Modular Crochet book. All the work on this sweater was done in about a week. I stopped because my wrists hurt and now it sits on top of my bookcase.
8. Placemats. I made one, started a second but alas the second sits on top of my craft corner.
9. Fingerless Gloves. I started these for a friend who lived in a really cold trailer. She no longer lives in a cold trailer-sigh.
10. I-pod Case. This might be my worst offense yet. This is a project for my guy, my very patient, not frustrated that his apartment has been taken over with plastic bags guy. I ran out of the right kind of bag and despite him buying more yummy things that come in those bags I have not finished, or even really thought about it.

Okay, I admit I feel a bit dirty with this admission of craft neglect. Perhaps the worst part of my craft neglect is all those confessed to today have been ignored in the last year. In other words this is a mere sampling of years of craft neglect. So here’s the deal, I promise to finish at least one project on the list before starting the next. And you all have to periodically remind me that there are many lovely projects already started for me to work on.